This past winter, I got my first custom barrel. I had to save up for almost a year as well to cover the barrel and the smithing cost. I bought a Shilen 4groove Ratchet for my Rem 40Xb and it shoots better than me. I racked up an ARA 2350 earlier this afternoon, which tells me the rifle and ammo get along just fine. Unfortunately, the wind began switching and my scores plummeted for the remaining 3 cards. That's on me, not the rifle and ammo. I am very satisfied with my 4R Shilen barrel I got from Killough and 3 other members of my ARA league use one, including the guy who took first place this afternoon. He racked up a 9K+ score for 4 cards, using Eley Tenex as he had his chambered fir that line of ammo. Its a tough league with 3 or 4 members pretty reliably turning in 8800+ scores for 4 cards. The rest of us jockey for not being in last place. Being on a budget, ammo is very challenging in terms of the toll it takes on your funds. If you're not rolling in dough, I recommend getting that barrel chambered for Lapua and going with the Center-X. At $10.50/box, it holds its own with the more expensive Eley, at least in the league I shoot in. You will need to get a box of each lot of Center-X speed to see which one your rifle likes, then buy as much as your budget allows. There's a good price break if you get a case and work off of it for a few years. First, shoot a brick of SK+ through the barrel, along with aggressive cleaning to get it broken in. My rifle shoots SK+ well also, though the quality is less than the Center-X in terms of how many rounds in each box fly differently from the rest. This is not an endeavor for folks struggling to make ends meet.
Hoot
